Congress solely responsible for crisis in Andhra: D Raja

New Delhi: Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja on Monday lashed out at the Congress Party for deferring a decision on the contentious Telangana statehood demand, saying the UPA II Government at the Centre has been terribly subjecting the state of Andhra Pradesh into a continuous political turmoil.

Raja said the Congress Party is solely responsible for the crisis in Andhra Pradesh.

"Actually speaking, if at all one party has to be blamed for such a crisis in the state of Andhra Pradesh that is the Congress Party. It is Congress Party and the Congress-led UPA II Government have been terribly subjecting the state of Andhra Pradesh into a continuous political turmoil. What is the stand of Congress Party nobody knows," he said.

Raja further said the Congress Party must take a straightforward and honest position whether they are in favour of creating a separate Telangana state or not.

"They must take a position and they must tell the nation, they must tell the Parliament. All the other parties have taken a stand either way. But only Congress Party is not taking a stand," he added.

Raja pointed out that even the Communist Party of India has reconciled to the demand of the people of Telangana for a separate state.

"Even our party long deliberations, we have reconciled to the demand of the people of Telangana for a separate state. Having taken this position, we have made it very clear the interests of all regions must be taken care of, no region should feel it has been let down. Whatever happens, it should happen as brothers unite. There should not be any animosity, there should not be any hostility, there should not be any bitterness. Everything has to be settled amicably and as brothers. This is what our party has been saying," said Raja.

"It is Congress Party, which has not taken any stand. Congress Party has been subjecting the state of Andhra Pradesh such a turmoil, which is affecting the people of Andhra Pradesh," he added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also took potshots at the Centre on the issue earlier in the day, and accused the UPA II Government of betraying the people fighting for the Telangana cause.

"It is complete betrayal of the Telangana cause and people. The Congress-led UPA Government is not ready to give Telangana and they are regularly fooling people over the issue. There is complete policy paralysis. I assure of full NDA support in the Parliament on the issue," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde made it clear on Sunday that a decision on the contentious Telangana statehood demand will be delayed further, as the government needed more time to arrive at a final decision on the issue.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has threatened to intensify its stir for a separate state a day after Centre deferred its own January 28 deadline, evoking sharp reactions from the pro-Telanaga groups.

Shinde had set a one-month deadline for a decision in December when he had invited two representatives from each party to know their views afresh on the Telangana issue in New Delhi.

The meeting was held to bring out the views of all parties on the demand to create a separate Telangana state.

The four-decade-old demand for Telangana, which is to be carved out of the economically less developed part of Andhra Pradesh, gathered momentum after the Congress party ruled government accepted the demand in principle.

So far, 33 Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Praja Rajyam Party and Independent lawmakers hailing from the Telangana region have resigned from Parliament and the Andhra State Assembly.

Several protests and shutdowns had brought Andhra Pradesh to a near halt in 2009 and 2010 as pro- Telangana activists persisted with their demand.